Telephone CBT for Depressed African-American Dementia Caregivers

Approximately 4.5 million Americans suffer from progressive dementia, with higher rates among African Americans than among European Americans. The majority of caregivers for dementia patients are family members, who often deal with difficult behavior, agitation, and aggressiveness in the people for whom they care. Because of the challenges they face, family caregivers for dementia patients are at increased risk of mental health problems, particularly depression. Promising research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can combat distress in African-American caregivers. One way to deliver CBT is through telephone-based interventions, which have been shown to lead to better psychological outcomes than routine education and support. This study will create treatment manuals for CBT tailored to the needs and preferences of African Americans who care for family members with dementia and will develop procedures and strategies for treatment delivery to and retention of members of this population. The study will then compare the effectiveness of face-to-face versus telephone-based CBT in improving mental health outcomes for African Americans who care for family members with dementia.

Participation in this study will last 3 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either face-to-face or telephone-based CBT. Both groups will receive 12 weekly sessions of therapy targeting caregiver depression and social functioning over time. Before and after treatment, participants will be assessed on measures of depression and social functioning through standardized questionnaires given over the telephone. Additional data will be collected on social and demographic factors, stressors, caregiver appraisal of resources, and use and costs of both mental and physical health care.